Tag Archives: Farms

Raspberry Picking at Mason Farms

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What can we say? We have been on a fruit kick lately, and a handful of the locations we have found happen to be in the west county of Erie, Pa. We just visited Ziesenheim Farms to pick cherries last week. It is 2020, and we are still obviously trying to maintain social distancing. This can be hard with young ones. In addition, it’s cold in Erie, PA for many months of the year. Finally, fruit seasons come and go, and if you miss one, then you’ll likely have to wait another year until you can go out and get it fresh. For that reason, we actually headed back to Mason Farms because a new season is in play. While picking fresh strawberries is still at the tail end of the season, picking red raspberries and black raspberries is now open at Mason Farms.

While we’ve already gone through the details of Mason Farms in Lake City, PA, there are a few items to note. For more in depth information, take a look at when we visited specifically for picking strawberries.  

Location:

Mason Farms is on Route 5 in Lake City, PA, just past Fairview, PA. The fruit and vegetable stand is located at 8603 W Lake Rd, Lake City, PA 16423. Remember that if you just want some farm fresh groceries, you can get them at the stand and don’t even need to drive back into the field to pick them yourself.

Property Description:

Another quick reminder that the weather in Erie is currently wonderful. It is ripe for wandering. That being said, please remember we are already passed the summer solstice. The days will already start to get shorter and the temperature will be cooler within a month or two. So, use this time now to get out and into the open under the hot sun. Being out in a field is a great way to get your steps in while also soaking up some warmth and sun rays.

Things to do:

Raspberries are great, but they are hard to come by in some parts of the country. In addition, they can be costly. A small pack at the grocery store could easily run you $5 for just a few handfuls. At Mason Farms, the price was $7 for a quart of red raspberries, and $8 for a quart of black raspberries. And the equivalency we has was right about 4 or 4.5 quarts in one cardboard basket … depending on the specific size of your basket.  

Who Can Go:

Compared to the cherry picking, this was another easy one for the full family. Berries grow a few feet off of the ground, so we didn’t have to hunch over like for the strawberries, nor did we need to climb a ladder to reach the cherries. This was one where we could all wander down the rows and grab the berries, high or low, that were within reach.

Final Thoughts:

Another great aspect we have found with wandering is once you discover a great location, remember to head back. Whether it is new sights with the season changes, new fruits and veggies to pick (or new items on the menu), or even just repeating a fun experience, we will keep bringing new locations, and great updates on old favorites, for you to wander.

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Ziesenheim Cherry Picking

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After spending time picking strawberries at Mason Farms, we wanted to continue the trend of picking our own food and enjoying the weather. Right down the road from Mason Farms is Ziesenheim Fruit Farm, which is also known as Fairplain Farm. This one will depend on the season, as there are both sweet and sour cherries available to be picked in July, as well as peaches available from mid-August until September.

Location:

Ziesenheim Fruit Farm is located at 8760 West Lake Road, Lake City, PA 16423. Their phone is 814-774-7342 in case you had questions about what is in season. This is another location right along Route 5 if you are heading west, and it’s only a few miles past Fairview. Once you arrive at the location, there are signs pointing toward the orchard and you simply drive north towards the lake. You can obtain a basket for picking at the main stand up front on Route 5, which is also where you pay when you are done.

Property Description:

The property is clearly a farm, and a large one at that. This is great from a scenery and nature point of view, and the ability to get outside and enjoy the sun in these times while maintaining social distancing is tremendous. The dozens of fruit trees at the orchard meant we weren’t even close to anyone else when we actually were picking. This was all despite the fact that there were other cars and pickers there.

Another item to be considered is this specific location’s views. You not only get the “farm,” view of vineyards and rows of crops, you also have an orchard of trees, and then on top of that there is a magnificent view of the lake.

The biggest benefit of this trip is that while it is on farmland, you don’t have to wander any farther than you want to. Pick up a basket at the front, drive to the orchard, and then when you park you are only a few feet away from the nearest trees.

When it comes to this time period of getting out of the house but maintaining social distancing and avoiding large crowds, this activity was one of the most perfect ones we could find.

Things to do:

This was another wonderful opportunity to involve the family. Compared to strawberry picking this became a little more complex as climbing a ladder is almost essential to reaching any fruit. However, this was also an opportunity as it took a little more time, allowed us to work together, and we were less in a rush of ‘gathering’ as we were able to enjoy the activity and hold the little ones as they picked some cherries on their own.

This is also something you can take your time on and select the perfect cherries at the perfect height, color, and shape, or you can grab a handful at a time and fill up your bucket. The cost was $1.50 per pound, which meant we filled up the basket half way and it only cost about $3.75. This is very affordable compared to the stores, and these are fresher fruits than what you can find on the shelves.

Another major benefit we experienced was the general tranquility. For almost the entire time we were there we barely heard any noise. For individuals in the downtown or in crowded cul-de-sacs, getting out into the country and relaxing with peace and quiet is a benefit in and of itself.

This is also a great opportunity for exercise, as the orchard is large enough to wander around and find different trees. It is easy to get your Fitbit steps in as you zig back and forth to find different trees with ladders. Or, if you are in more of a hurry and don’t want to spend all day, then just find one of the ladders available and already standing up and start picking from that tree, then just make your way down the line and go from one tree to the next as you fill up your basket.

This is also something that any photographer would want to look into. Being able to see the different views, landscaping, and open skies is something that gives you multiple looks all from the same location. This is also something that we will probably revisit as we get closer to peach season in the late summer, and who can ignore the photogenic nature of a farm as the leaves start to change and we hit early fall?

Who Can Go:

This is a great activity for anyone. The one item to note is that you do have to go on a ladder in order to reach most of the cherries, but you also don’t have to climb up very far to be able to reach the lower hanging fruit. This may be a somewhat good exercise in patience if you are bringing younger children, as at any point that someone is on the ladder, the others are waiting.

One alternative to this is to divide and conquer. If you have multiple people in your party you can always split up into smaller groups so each individual could claim a different ladder, and so that not everyone is waiting to use the same one. Just remember to bring your hand sanitizer for use after climbing the ladders, especially during these times!

Final Thoughts:

This was another fun activity. Trying something new and letting younger (or older) ones experience something for the first time can really be fun. It’s also exciting to know where your food comes from and whether this is just to have a snack on hand, or it is for an additional activity like baking a pie, it can still be exciting. The fact that there are both sweet and sour cherries adds even more fun to the mix. And, just finding something to do that is off of the beaten path means enjoying the day in the sun, having a family activity, and even taking a drive. This is definitely something for anyone to look into trying, and even going back for more.

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Strawberry Picking at Mason Farms

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A visit to Frontier Park was something fun we were able to do while being in the city and the downtown Erie, PA area. We also know that the offerings including the trails, the water, the fields, and even the LEAF building were something to consider when you are looking for something to do in Erie, PA. However, as much fun as you can find to answer the question, “What can you do downtown in Erie?” we wanted to get a little farther out and try something off of the beaten path. For that reason, we headed out to Mason Farms Country Market to check out the fresh fruit and vegetables as well as try our collective hands at strawberry picking.

Location:

Mason Farms Country Market is located on 8603 W Lake Rd, Lake City, PA 16423. It is on Route 5 if you are heading west, and you can’t miss it, or the acres of fields behind it. It’s only a short drive and the stand and parking lot are literally right on US State Route 5. This specific activity wasn’t just the stand, so after we checked out the fruit and vegetables available up front, we drove another quarter of a mile or so back to the strawberry fields where they had everything set up for us to start picking.

Property Description:

While this property wasn’t built for our typical wandering, we do also believe wandering and taking our time was simply something inherent to strawberry picking. Deciding which specific strawberries to harvest and which to leave for more growth was one aspect. Taking our time in fields that were open and spacious during social distancing times was another benefit. And the fact that we weren’t on a set time limit, nobody was “waiting behind us,” and we even had the chance to get the little ones involved meant this was a great activity. Combine that with the fact that there was sun shining and considerable fresh air, and this was a full day.

Things to do:

We should note that everyone will certainly decide for themselves whether or not an activity such as this is something they want to do. You may not like this one, but we still recommend you try it.

Why?

First, getting out into the county means less pollution. The air quality is one thing, but the ability to find peace and quiet in the middle of a field is something to help calm you down and get back to nature.

Second, this is certainly something that not a lot of people have done. You can literally see where your food comes from. You will be picking which strawberries to pick, and ultimately choosing your own food.

Third, knowing the date, time, and conditions of your food probably has some benefits! You know that this food wasn’t sitting on a grocery shelf, in a warehouse for days, or being handled by a stranger. This is literally something you can take home, wash off, and eat for a fresh and natural food.

The walking also helps, but this tends to be more of a crouching exercise. You can take your time and stroll along the path, picking out individual strawberries as you spot them, or you can get down low and move the leaves of the plants to try and find the brightest red strawberries which were hidden from other pickers.

Who Can Go:

As we said, we were able to take the entire family. And while there could be certain ages that don’t make sense, this was the perfect activity to keep a toddler busy for about forty-five minutes or so, as the activity basically turned into a treasure hunt. Finding the biggest, brightest, and (hopefully) tastiest strawberries was something that will keep the little ones preoccupied for a while, and the activity itself is enough to tire them out and take a nap on the drive home.

Final Thoughts:

Wandering isn’t always about discovering something new in a dark corner of the county, or being first to try something out. For us, this was a great way to get out in nature, albeit a different type, and enjoy the sun and the breeze. We also enjoyed something that was both physically and mentally exciting. On top of it all, it was an excellent way to teach the younger ones about basic farming, food, and even what doing work to get a reward is.

If you’re looking for a great activity and want to try something new, check out something like strawberry picking at Mason Farms Country Market. Be sure to stop by the stand as well for fresh fruits and vegetables (that you don’t have to pick). And, while strawberry picking tends to be seasonal, there are many different seasons in the agriculture world, so we will be sure to stop back to this stand again and see what other activities are happening.  

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